Welding Tips and Tricks

Hey guys so I have been helping my buddy build his 66 Nova welding motor mounts and suspension mounts everything is good there. He is now wanting to start doing the bodywork on it. He wants me to tig it, instead of migging. When first started tigwelding I worked at a sheet metal shop when we did thin steel like 20 22 and thinner we would use silicone bronze and it worked good. Think this would work for auto body work? Just was thinking it would help keep warpage down.

If you can't sell him on MIG, which is absolutely the way to go, then, yes, I'd go for a low-temp brazing material like silicon bronze. It'll never have the same strength in a butt-joint, and should be lap-"welded" with flanged panels.

MIG not only has less shrinkage on thin sections, it gives enough extra material (without added heat-soak) to planish the weld and restore the original dimensions, reducing the amount of filler/body putty needed.

Maybe you can demonstrate on some scrap panel sections and convince him?

Steve S

I know about the strength to be honest not that worried about strength because its only twenty gauge I am more worried about warping. I mean I am very comfortable welding thin steel fast but not comfortable doing body work never done it. The reason he wants it tig it is less grinding. Think if I used a heat on the back it would minimize the warpage? I was thinkirabout just doing short 4 inch stitches and back step it.

You can give it a shot, but I'm pretty sure there's a reason professional body men don't TIG panels.

I don't disagree.